JARRETT GOODMAN
Staff Writer
Craig Schaffer, a longtime Marion County resident, voiced concerns about the quality of Kimball’s water supply during the town’s recent public meeting.
Schaffer explained that while leaving for Chattanooga last month, he noticed work being done on the neighborhood waterline near his residence by Battle Creek Road and Dixie Highway. He initially thought nothing of it until returning home that evening to find the water contaminated with dirt and debris. To illustrate his concerns, Schaffer brought several jars of discolored water and a reverse osmosis filter to the meeting as physical evidence.
While he praised South Pittsburg Water Works for resolving the issue promptly, Schaffer said the lack of advance notification for him and other residents was troubling. He proposed that the town establish a notification system to alert residents by phone whenever work is planned on water lines affecting their homes.
He also noted that after water samples were collected, he was told the test results would be available within 24 hours. However, he never received the results within that time frame. As a result, he recommended changes to how water test results are communicated to residents.
Mayor Rex Pesnell stated that he and the Board had been in contact with South Pittsburg Water Works regarding both the notification process and how water tests were handled. Jimmy Campbell, Assistant Manager of South Pittsburg Water Works, explained that the issue was caused by a mainline break near the subdivision. He assured attendees that staff make every effort to prevent contamination during such repairs. He also acknowledged that a communication breakdown between himself, Schaffer, and the plant operator led to the delay in relaying test results, as the operator assumed Campbell had already informed Schaffer.
Campbell noted that an alert system is already in place, and residents can sign up for it online at https://southpittsburgutilities.com/alerts or in person at the Water Works office located at 138 S. Cedar Avenue. For questions or concerns, residents can contact the office at (423) 837-7164 or after hours at (423) 942-2525.
